Never Ask Us That

We've been telling people for many years that there are two questions they should never ask us. The first is "How are you?" (or any variation of it). The other is "Are you sure?". Both questions generally elicit a "Never ask me that" response.

As to the first, no one really cares how anyone else is doing, and most of the people we encounter during the course of a day would just as soon see us go away as -- quickly as possible. The question is merely a conditioned response, and -- like Pavlov's puppies -- they all parrot it out at the mere sight of another human being.

The second question is usually met with the further reply of "Did I sound the least bit unsure?". In this day and age of hyper-sensitivity, it mystifies us how people could be so insensitive. What ever happened to listening to the tone in another's voice?